Five charged in connection with Liam Payne's death
- Published
Five people have been charged in connection with the death of One Direction singer Liam Payne in Argentina, the authorities there say.
The 31-year-old star died on 16 October after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires.
The hotel's manager, Gilda Martin, and its receptionist, Esteban Grassi, as well as Payne's friend Roger Nores have been charged with manslaughter, Argentina's prosecutor's office says.
Ezequiel Pereyra - who also worked at the hotel - and Braian Paiz, a waiter, have been charged with supplying drugs.
Under Argentina's legal system, the prosecutor's office gathers evidence which it then presents to a judge, who has to decide whether to proceed to trial.
According to a statement released by the prosecutor's office, Judge Laura Bruniard already took the decision to proceed to the next stage on Friday.
The defendants' lawyers can appeal against that decision. If their appeals are not successful, the trial phase starts.
In court documents, Judge Bruniard listed the charges against the five suspects, who are referred to by their initials, as is the custom in court documents at this stage of the proceedings.
Hotel employee EDP is suspected of having sold Liam Payne cocaine on 15 and 16 October
Waiter BNP is also suspected of having sold cocaine to Liam Payne twice on 14 October
Payne's friend RLN is suspected of manslaughter for allegedly "failing to fulfil his duties of care, assistance and help" towards the singer after having "abandoned him to his luck knowing that he was incapable of fending for himself and knowing that he [Payne] suffered from multiple addictions"
Hotel Manager GAM is suspected of manslaughter for allegedly failing to stop Payne from being taken to his hotel room moments before his death. According to the court papers, given Payne's state, the room's balcony posed a "serious threat" and the manager should have ensured Payne was kept in a safe place until medical help arrived
Chief receptionist ERG is also suspected of manslaughter for allegedly asking three people to "drag" Payne, who could not stand up, to his room, instead of keeping him safe.
Judge Bruniard said that she did not think that Liam Payne's friend, the hotel manager and the receptionist "had planned or wanted the death of Payne" but that their actions had created a "risk" to his life.
If found guilty, the three could face sentences of between one and five years in prison.
The sentence for supplying drugs is more severe and ranges between four and 15 years in jail.
Judge Bruniard has ordered the two accused of supplying the drugs be remanded in custody.
They have been summoned to appear within 24 working hours.
Fernando Madeo Facente, the lawyer representing Braian Paiz, told the BBC that he had advised his client not to hand himself in.
He said that Braian Paiz posed no flight risk and had in no way hindered the investigation. To the contrary, he had handed over his mobile phone containing chats with Liam Payne to the authorities willingly.
The lawyer argued that holding Braian Paiz in pre-trial detention would therefore be completely unnecessary and over the top.
He also argued that the prosecution had gone too far when it had accused his client of selling drugs to Payne.
Mr Madeo Facente said that his client and Payne had spent time together "during which they talked and did a lot of things, in private".
"And one of those things they did was to consume drugs," the lawyer said.
But he insisted that no money had been exchanged and that allegations to the contrary were "completely false" and lacking in evidence.
He also emphatically rejected articles in the Argentine media which had described his client as "Liam Payne's dealer".
In November, the prosecutor's office said toxicology tests revealed traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in Payne's body.
A post-mortem examination determined his cause of death as "multiple trauma" and "internal and external haemorrhage", as a result of the fall from the hotel balcony.
According to the prosecutor's office, medical reports also suggested Payne may have fallen in a state of semi or total unconsciousness.
The prosecutor's office said this ruled out the possibility of a conscious or voluntary act by Payne, and they had concluded the singer did not know what he was doing nor have any comprehension of his actions.
Speaking to US celebrity news outlet TMZ after Payne's death, Roger Nores said he was a "very good friend" of the singer and they had spent time together on the day the star died.
He said Payne "seemed playful and happy" when he left him about an hour before the musician fell from the balcony.
After Payne's death, police found substances in his hotel room and objects and furniture that had been damaged.
Hotel staff had made two calls to emergency services saying they had a guest who had taken "too many drugs and alcohol", and was "trashing the entire room", it was previously reported.
Payne became one of the most recognisable names in pop after appearing on The X Factor and rising to fame with the boyband One Direction in the 2010s before the band went on an indefinite hiatus in January 2016.
The singer's funeral was held in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, last month.
His former bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik were among the mourners, alongside Payne's girlfriend Kate Cassidy and his former partner Cheryl, with whom he shares a son.